Humidifier for internal-combustion engines



Jan. 13, 1931. J. B. LUND HUMIDIFIER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Dec. 31, 1923 11 Fig.1

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Patented Jan. 13, 1931 PATENT j entries 13. runner onlcaeoirrrmors" i 'nuinnirrnn roa INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES Application filed. December'31, 1923. Serial 110.683,?75.

is broken up into a finely, divided stateand mixed with air before, entering the cylinders. I Another object of the invention is to secure 10 uniform distribution of the water among the various cylinders of the engineand to providea cheap and efficient device forthis p-ur pose. The invention has other objects which are more specifically pointed out 111 the ac- 15 companying description.

Referring now to the drawings Figure 1 is a. view-showing the device as applied to the engine'of an automobile. 1*

'Figure2 is an enlarged view of the visible F20 feed of the device. I

- Figure3 is a sectional viewtaken on line 3-3 of Figure 2.. I 1

device for finely dividing the water and mixin itwiththe ai'r. 1

%igure 5 is a plan view of the device shown in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is an enlarged view showing the air opening in the sight feeding chamber.

' Likenumerals refer to likeparts throughout'the several figures. Y

In carrying out my invention, I provide a suitable water tank :1 which may be suitably located. When the device is used with an automobile, this tank may be attached to the support 2.; A pipe 3 leadspreferably from the bottom of thetankand is-provided with a strainer4.' The pipe 3 leads to the body or casing 5 of the sight feeding device illustrated inFig's. 2 and 3. In this construction thepipe 3 is attachedby' means of a coupling 6 with the hollow threaded projection 7 on thecasing -5fofthe sight feeding device. A passageway 9 connects -with the hollow threaded projection 7 Aremovable controllingflvalve casing "10 is'mounte'd preferably in a threaded opening in the casing 5. The valve casing 10 is provided with avalve 11, preferably of the needle type and is provided wirhpw amb law h hic h Figure 4 1s a sectional view through the for preventing this.

The casing 20is provided with a valve 26 wa'y-9- communicates. V The valve 11 has a seat 13 in-the bottom of the chamber 12 and there is a bent discharge end 14 connected with the Valve casing 10 through which the water is discharged into the casing-5 at a point to beeasily observable through the transparent front 15ofthe casing5. Water passes along a pipe 17 to the casing 20 which is fastened to the hollow threaded; projection i V 21 of the casing. by means of the fitting 22. The casing 20.is provided with the passageway 23 which communicates withapassageway 24 preferably atan angle. thereto.

The passageway 24 communicates with the atmosphere at one end. The other end of the casing 2018 connected with" the engine cylinders and the air is drawn in'by' the cylinders through the passageway 24. This air strikes the water from the passageway 23 and: dividesit into fine-particles and dis tributes it throughout the air and is then carried'intothe cylinders. This device under ordinary conditions makes a noise which is disadvantageous and so I providesome means 76 In the construction shown, the passageway 24 is enlarged at its outer end24a so thatas the air comesin, the current of air converges tothe small admission opening of the ,pas- .sageway 24 and I foundthat this p-revents the disagreeable noise, otherwise produced by the inrush of;-the air'and'acts asa-silencer.

. Thisenlarged end 24a may be ,madeyin the casing 20 if desired, but I. prefer to provide a separate fitting 25 which has the'converging opening 24?), and which is screw threaded into the end ofthe. casing 20, as shown in Fig.4.

the'sight feeding casing; This tube has its end connected with a projection on the casing 20. This connection may be made in in any; suitable manner. As herein shown it is made by. the threaded coupling member ner, as by means of the screw threaded coupling piece 33. The wire 28 is connected to the handle 3& in any suitable manner as'by means of the screw 35. The inner we of j the projection 32is provided with a groove 36 along which the head of'this screw slides so as to prevent the handleandthe wirefrom rota-ting. The casing is connected in any suitable manner withthe engi'ne cylinders,

*preferably through 'tl1e-mani'fold.' I have I have found thatby providing means 8Z5 shown the casing 20 as-connected in the connection 37-leading from the vacuum tank 38 to the manifold 39. The vacuumtank 38 is "the usual vacuum tank used onautomobiles 'which as installed'ha's the connection 37 leading to-the intake manifold 39 of the engine. Since these parts are already in position on the automobile, this forms'a convenient manner or. connecting-the device to the manifold without making any =additionalholes,"the only thing required being to insert in the "pipe 37 r the T c-oupling O'a's shown in Figure 1.

In the use of-the device when 'thelengine is in operation, thevalve -11;is openedthe desired amount and the handle 34 is moved -to openthe valve 26. The's'uction of the cyliindersc'au'ses the air toirush in through the fitting 25 and the water to'pass through the pipe '17 into thecasing'20. It willbe noted "thatftheairstrikes thewater at an angle and "this 1 air then divides the water into a [finely dividedstate. This water in this finely divided state is then passed into the manifold {and-into-thecylinder-s. The amount'of water i'siregulated'by the valve 11 an'd can be seen -'throu"gh't'he siglitfeeding device I or admitting air into the-water passageway leading-to the atomizer the-action of the device l 'is greatly improved. I prefer to do'this by admitting air into'the sight feeding chamber 'orc'asing 5. Only a small opening-is desirable and *I have shown the preferred form in Figure '6 which illustrates anenlarged corner of'the casings. Int-his 'constructiona small opening 42 is provided in the casing and this opening is preferably-located sothat the air, due to the suction of the engine, 'must 'first pass between theth-re'a'ds 43 by means of which the holding ring 44 which holds 'the glass '15 is 1 connected with the casing 5. By this 'constri'lction the air in theproper quantity isadmitt'ed and this admission is done 7 without undue noise. By-admitting air in is kept passing through the pipe 17 to the atomizer in smaller quantities so that in the event the casing 5 is below the casing 20 it film of waterto flowalong the bottom of the pipe 17 by causing each drop as it drops from vthe end 14 tobe drawn through the pipe 17.

If this airisnot admitted, the water is liable to accumulatein-the casing 5 so as to entirely cover the assageway leading to the pipe 17 andthis causes too rnuch water to be delivered to the atomizer at each stroke of the piston. By means of this airadmission andthe thin him of water flowing along the bottom of pipe 17,:the water is de1ivered tothe atomizer in small quantities and ls-atomi z'ed more completelyaa'nd distributed? more thoroughly; through the air', and betterresults are thus secured. V

It will be noted thatin this construction air alone is admitted tonne of the passageways of'the atomizer,whileair-and water are: admittedto the otherip'assagewa'y of the atomize'r. Itwil-l further be-noted that this admission of a'ir constitutes, as it were, a means operated by the-suction of the engine cylinders for controlling the fee'd of the water from the sight-feeding device through the pipe 17 to I the atomizer.

claim: :1. A humidifying device' att'ached to the intake manifold of aninter'nal combustionen gine comprising a source of water-supply,

.a casing having a mixed air and water passagew'ay there'through connected with said source of "water supply, said casing having an air passageway therethrough'at an angle to thewat'er -'p'assageway, the two passageways joining, said air passageway provided l with an enlarged admission end "havinginclined walls which converge from'the outer between said casing and the intake manifold of the 'engine-.- r

2. A humiditying'dev i'ceattached to'the end toward =tl1'e inner end and a connection 1110 intake manifoldof an internal combustion therethrough at an angle tothe-waterpa'ss'ageway, the two passageways oinlng, "a connection between said 'casing-jand the intake manifold ofthe' engine,and means associated with said air p'assag'eway for'decreasingthe noise produced by theinflow of-the air.

3. A h'ui'nidifying device attached to "the intake manifoldfotan internal combustion engine comprisinga source of watersupply,

a sightfeeding device havinga pipe, 22 chamber onone side of'the fba'se providedwi th, a

transparent front; a projection ontherear of intake mani'fol said base, a pipe leading from said projection to said source of water supply, a water conduit from said projection to said chamber, a valve controlling said conduit, a second projection on the base of said sight feeding device, a casing at a distance from said sight feeding device, and having a mixed air and water passageway therethrough, a pipe connecting said water passageway with said second projection, said casing having an air passageway joining said latter passageway, a

passageways. p

wSigned at Chicago, county of Cook and prising an enlarged admission end for'said noise of latter passageway for reducing the the admission of the air intoboth of said State of Illinois, this l5thday of December, 1923. I JAMES B.

valve for controlling said passageways, an

actuating device for said valve connected with the base of said sight feeding device and a connection between said casing and the intake manifold of the engine.

4. A humidifying device attached to the intake manifold of an internal combustion the water passageway in said casing, a connection between said source of water supply and said sight feeding device, controlling means for controlling the admission of the water to said sight feeding device and means for admitting air into said sight feeding device when the device is in operation.

5. A device of the kind described comprisi ing a sight feeding device, a source of water supply connected with said sight feeding device, a water atomizer at a distance from said sight feeding device but connected therewith,

a connection between said water atomizer and the intake manifold of the engine, and means associated with said atomizer comprising two joining passageways, one for the water from the source of water supply, the other having 'an enlarged admission end with inclined walls, the enlarged end opening to the atmosphere and the small end opening toward the other passageway.

6. A humidifying device attached to the intake manifold of an internal combustion i no engine comprising a casing provided with two passageways meeting at an acute angle,

one passageway ending at the inner wall of I the other passageway, means for admitting air and water to one passageway and air alone to the other passageway, and a connection between said casing and the intake manifoldof the engine.

7. A humidi for admitting air and water to onepassageway and air alone, to the other passageway, a connection between said casing and the intake manifold of the engine, and meanscoming device attached to the of an internal combustion 1 engine comprising .a casing provided with two passageways meeting at an angle, means 7 

